Avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on all aspects and elevations.
Periods of heavy snowfall and strong winds will create dangerous avalanche conditions. Expect avalanches within the storm snow and wind-drifted snow, with any slide potentially stepping down to one of the buried weak layers, triggering a deeper avalanche several feet deep and hundreds of feet wide. Stay alert—avalanche danger will rise as the storm intensifies.
The travel advice remains unchanged—avoid avalanche terrain.
Elevated winds continue to form sensitive wind drifts on all aspects at mid and upper elevations.
Watch for pillow-shaped deposits and avoid them. Signs of instability—shooting cracks, collapsing, and overhanging cornices—are clear indicators of wind-drifted snow and unstable terrain.
Snowfall is increasing, and so is avalanche danger. Up to 7" of new snow could lead to fast-running sluffs, especially at upper elevations.
Sensitivity depends on snowfall rates—anything over 2” per hour makes avalanches more likely. Watch for cracking and sluffing, as even small slides can be dangerous in steep terrain.
The snowpack in Provo is far from ideal—it's shallow, weak, and unstable. Multiple faceted layers sit beneath the recent storm snow, creating a dangerous setup where avalanches can fail on any of them. This includes almost all aspects, even those considered more solar. Look for weak crust interfaces on aspects facing southwest, south, and southeast. This isn’t the time to thread the needle, hoping to find a steep slope that won’t slide—the weak snow is too widespread.
Until conditions improve, we strongly recommend staying out of avalanche terrain. Any avalanche in the new or wind-drifted snow has the potential to step down into one of the deeper persistent weak layers.
Help the University of Utah understand risk behavior in the backcountry by participating in a 15-minute survey. The U will compensate up to $30 for your time! Please note: responses will not be confidential but will be handled ethically under IRB guidelines.
No avalanches were reported in the backcountry yesterday. However, while in Provo on Monday, Paige, Trent, and I noticed several recent avalanches on solar aspects that caught our eye. Check the recent observations for details.
Read all observations HERE.
Heavy snowfall is blanketing the mountains this morning, with most Aspen Grove reporting about 3 inches of snow and 0.15 inches of water as of 5 AM. Temperatures range from 20–30°F. Winds have been steady overnight from the west, with ridgetop gusts over 45 mph, but have since subsided to 10–15 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph.
The storm is arriving later than expected, with the heaviest snowfall between 7 AM and 2 PM, averaging 0.5 inches per hour. Snow density will decrease as colder air moves in, with an additional 1-5 inches expected by 5 PM.
Temperatures will remain in the mid-20s°F, and winds will shift to the northwest, averaging 10–15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph at mid-elevations and 15–25 mph, gusting to 35 mph, on the highest ridgelines. Storm totals are now estimated to be between 2–7 inches of snow, with up to 0.55 inches of water by tomorrow.
Avalanches have occurred on nearly every aspect and elevation over the past week, and multiple weak layers make the snowpack unpredictable. We don’t recommend traveling in avalanche terrain right now, but there’s good powder on slopes under 30 degrees.
Four people have already lost their lives this season—a tragic reminder of how unforgiving this snowpack is. Don’t try to outsmart it. Keep it simple: avoid steep terrain and stick to safer, lower-angle slopes.
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This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
